13 December 2002

I went down to the hospital last night to visit Mom again. She's doing much better. She had her glasses on, and was able to follow and participate in conversation. When she took my hand to warm it up (I'd just come from outside) her grip was firm. She still says thing that made no sense, but she said them in full sentences. Her sense of taste is beginning to normalize - she's able to stand the taste of milk and bread again. She almost liked the cream of broccoli soup, but apparently it had a foul aftertaste to her.

And liquids - she sucked down her tea pretty quickly, and must have gone through at least four cups of water while I was there, though she was complaining of an aftertaste in the water, too. She was able to hold the cup, at least, and only sloshed water on herself a couple of times.

By no means is she well - she's still a little bit disoriented and weak, and she's still got occasional tremors in her hands and legs. But I'm beginning to have hope that she might be home for Christmas.

There's not much else to tell about yesterday. I've been so tired lately from the stress that I can barely think at work, and then I'm going to bed by 10:30 and sleeping like the dead until the alarm pries me up in the morning.

Pregnancy is making me tired, I'm guessing, as well as the stress. My breasts are continuing to be sore - I'm seriously considering ordering myself an extra-large sports bra to sleep in.

Very little nausea or even queasiness lately, at least, though my book tells me that the second month of pregnancy - which I'm getting very close to - tends to show an increase in the unpleasant symptoms: nausea, exhaustion (sometimes combined with insomnia, ohboy), etc. So we'll see how I do.

Monday morning is my first visit to the OB's office. I'm a little nervous, I confess. And a little excited. I don't know why. I guess the medical confirmation will make it seem more "official" and real.

And cold. I'm freezing just about all the time. Last night I got so cold just sitting and reading websites that I gave up and went to bed around 9:30, just so I could crawl under the covers with the heating pad on my feet. We really need to get the furnace looked at.

Other than that, I'm just glad it's Friday. This weekend I need to wrap the rest of the presents, finish making the homemade ones and wrap those, pack and label a few boxes for shipping, and decide whether I'm making any cookies this year - and if I am, of course, make them. Oh, and we have a party to go to Saturday evening, and of course I'll want to visit Mom at least once. Busy busy.

But I hope it'll be a good kind of busy.

--Liz